Qualifications

A-levels

Degree

Haydn wasn't sure what to study after his GCSEs, but he knew he wanted to design buildings for a living. "When I was eight years old, I went to Brighton on holiday with my parents and saw the Royal Pavilion there; the design just blew me away- it was at that point that I realised that I wanted to become an architect."

"I didn't know what to study after GCSEs, so I rang some universities to ask them which A-levels I should take to do architecture - they told me to take A-level physics, along with maths and either art or design. Although physics was my weakest science at GCSE, I'm glad I took the advice and persevered - in the end I got really good grades in Physics. I now realise just how important physics is to designing buildings; for example you need to understand materials, and how they are affected by heat and light, and also how vibrations affect buildings, if there is a natural disaster such as an earthquake. If you want your building to stay up, you just can't ignore physics".

After his A-levels, Haydn went on to study architecture at Cardiff University and now designs building for clients across the globe. "I often travel to other countries to meet clients to discuss plans and also to meet with engineers and building contractors to make sure that my designs are being built as I intended. My favourite part is seeing an idea that I came up with coming to life. There is nothing quite like knowing that the building you have designed will last and be enjoyed by people for many years, maybe even centuries to come."